Friday, December 27, 2013

Public Domain? Yes, Please!: Meet The Andrews Sisters

The Andrews Sisters are definitely more well-known than the Boswell Sisters that I posted about earlier this week, and they're a staple in any 40s and 50s music lover's collection. Even if you aren't familiar with them persay, most people have at least heard their music in movies or alongside Glenn Miller Orchestra in old recordings.

The Andrews Sisters were heavily influenced by the Boswell Sisters, and even emulated their style and sang their songs when they were first starting out. Their complicated harmonies and jazzy style, while borrowing from the slightly old group of sisters, became their own in a short time following their popularity during World War II and they often visited bases to sing for the troops (in several overseas countries, even!)

If you're completely enamored by the peppy, upbeat sound of the Andrews Sisters I strongly encourage you to NOT read up on their history. I can't help but feel a little sad when I hear them sing now that I now have read of the hardships and family tensions they went through. I guess life gets hard when you're in such close quarters with your siblings in fame.

Here is a youtube sampling of their amazing songs:

This first one is my absolute favorite song of theirs, and I am so pleased that I was able to find this footage from 1942 of them doing a performance (presumably in a movie)!

One of their biggest hits was "The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" which is a seriously infectious swinging good time. This footage is from Abbott and Costello's "Buck Pirates". Check out those moves! You also catch a serious glimpse of LaVerne's knee toward the end there - Scandalous!

This final one is a much less known song, but has some great lyrics and a thick jazzy beats. I can't help but feel peppy when I listen to these songs.

I hope you enjoy the Andrews Sisters as much as I do! Please let me know if any of my YouTube links go stale. You can also visit Archive.org's site for them and stream and download additional public domain recordings of their music!